Mitt Romney is at it again, continuing his dishonest campaign by trying to take yet another Obama quote out of context.

From: The Washington Post

“Barack Obama on the Economy”

— headline in a Romney campaign ad, followed by President Obama speaking:

“We tried our plan — and it worked. That’s the difference. That’s the choice in this election. That’s why I’m running for a second term.”

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In other words, in an inelegant way, Obama is trying to compare Democratic philosophy (raise taxes on the wealthy — “our plan”) with Republican philosophy (don’t raise any taxes — “their plan”). He also appears to be trying to hitch his presidency to the economic success of the Clinton years. He can rightly argue that he’s never had a chance to do what Bill Clinton did — raise taxes on the wealthy — because Republicans have blocked his efforts.

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Still . . . the Romney ad starts off by claiming that Obama is talking about today’s economy. And then the ad is filled with comments from ordinary Americans about how they are suffering today.

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The Pinocchio Test

It may well be disingenuous of Obama to wrap his policies in the mantle of Bill Clinton, but he was talking to a roomful of Democrats. We also make some allowances for awkward language uttered off the cuff, especially if it appears to be a one-time statement. (The Romney campaign did not supply any other examples of Obama claiming his economic plan worked.)

In any case, the Romney campaign clearly ripped these words out of context, leaving them untethered from their original meaning — in order to score political points in a highly misleading way. Obama was not talking about today’s economy, but about different philosophies of taxation.